1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an I-beam adapted to support the panels of a curved surface of a building. More particularly, the present invention relates to an I-beam with a D-shaped flange that permits a planar wall panel to be attached to the flange at any point along a curved surface of the flange.
2. Description of Prior Art
Property owners place increasing emphasis on aesthetics when planning and designing buildings or other structures, and may depart substantially from the traditional building design consisting of a rectangular frame with planar surfaces. A modern building may have an arbitrarily curved frame with correspondingly curved surfaces, for example, or may have a rectangular frame with inner or outer surfaces that are arbitrarily curved along one or more directions.
Such structures with curved frames and/or surfaces present challenges in design and construction. Traditional building materials, for example, may not be adapted to accommodate a curved structure or curved surface. The walls of a traditional, rectangular building, for instance, are planar and the outer surfaces thereof may consist of an array of planar wall panels lying substantially within the plane of the wall. Such panels may be attached to the building using traditional I-beams with planar flanges, wherein each panel is parallel with, and secured to, the planar flanges of one or more I-beams. Unfortunately, it is very difficult or impossible to use traditional I-beams in a similar manner to support the panels of a curved surface because the panels may not be planar and/or may not be parallel with the flanges of the I-beams.
These problems may be partially alleviated by placing an intermediate structure between the I-beams and the wall panels, wherein the intermediate structure is adapted to support the wall panels at a particular angle by attaching to the wall panel and to the I-beam. Use of an intermediate structure has the disadvantage, however, of adding to the overall cost of the structure by requiring more time and/or materials to manufacture and more time to assemble and/or place the structure and the panels at the construction site.
Another disadvantage of using traditional I-beams to support the outer surface of a building is that such use may result in condensation that accumulates and drips, thus damaging the building over time. For example, fasteners used to secure wall panels to the I-beams, such as a nut and bolt combination, may extend through both the panel and the flange of the I-beam and protrude an inch or more beyond the flange and into the structure. Because such fasteners are in contact with the outer surface of the building, cooler external temperatures will cool the fasteners, causing moisture to condense and accumulate on the portion of the fasteners that extend inside the building. It will be appreciated that if such condensation drips on the inside of the building it may damage the building by soaking interior wall or ceiling panels, or by pooling on metal surfaces and causing rust or other corrosion. Many walls have several hundred such fasteners; therefore, moisture condensation may present a substantial problem.
Beams with tubular flanges, wherein each flange includes a curved outer surface, are known in the art. Unfortunately, such beams do not address the growing needs discussed above. Most, for example, lack the requisite structural integrity to support a structural element of substantial weight, particularly when the structural element is planar or otherwise makes minimal contact with the flange. Many of the beams also exhibit outer curved surfaces with varying radii of curvature, which may further compromise structural integrity and impede attachment of a structural element to the flange at particular angles.
Due to the above mentioned and other problems and disadvantages in the art, a need exists for an improved I-beam capable of attaching to and supporting planar wall panels at any of various angles, and adapted to prevent or contain condensation on the fasteners that secure the wall panels to the beam.